I had the great privilege to meet and talk with photographer René Burri, while he made playful watercolor drawings and signed copies of his 450-page retrospective of black-and-white photography at the recent Paris Photo 2004.

Below, listen to Burri speak briefly on his beginnings as a photographer, his views on color photography and digital, and tell anecdotes about one of his photographs.

Looking through this book of remarkable photographs is at once inspiring and humbling — not one of these many, many history-defining photos could be made today. And it makes me wonder who will be recording our history going forward with the same kind of clever eye and full heart.

Britta Jaschinski, winner of the 2010 European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, makes charcoal-like photographs of wild animals in their native habitats, often as their natural environments are radically changing.